Insecure Writer’s Support Group! November Movie Preview, CassaSeries Giveaway, Movie Trivia Answers, and Ninja News

It’s time for another group posting of the Insecure Writer’s Support Group! Time to release our fears to the world – or offer encouragement to those who are feeling neurotic. If you’d like to join us, click on the tab above and sign up. We post the first Wednesday of every month. I encourage everyone to visit at least a dozen new blogs and leave a comment. Your words might be the encouragement someone needs.

My awesome co-hosts today are Joylene Novell Butler, Jen Chandler, Mary Aalgaard, Lisa Buie Collard, Tamara Narayan, Tyrean Martinson, and Christine Rains!

November Question – What is your favorite aspect of being a writer?
Connecting with others on every level - readers, fans, writers, friends.

The IWSG Anthology Contest has come to a close. There were some excellent entries this year! And a lot more than expected. We’ll be sending the best to the judges within a week or so. Big thanks to those who entered and helped spread the word. You guys rock!

It’s inspiring to read such a variety. It gave me an idea on how I might salvage my scrapped outline. I just need to go deeper and darker.

In the meantime, I was surprised to find out that in addition to my three Cassa books, the complete series is now available as an audio book and for a really great price.


Pick CassaSeries up at iTunes, Audible, and Audible.

And I have one copy to give away!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Be sure to visit other IWSG participants!

Ninja News

RiffTrax: Live – Carnival of Souls was awesome! Review and more pre-show screen shots on Monday.







Many of you know Jean, the Bead Blogger Lady. She’s also a Vine Voice on Amazon and is back to reviewing on her blog, starting with a review of Big Flies

Stephen Hayes is giving away this beautiful painting! He’s an accomplished illustrator (and author) and this would be an incredible addition to anyone’s collection. For details, visit Stephen’s blog.

New releases:

Slient Whispers by Christine Rains
Find it on Amazon

Phantasms by J.L. Campbell
Find it on Amazon

Native Shifter by Cindy Borgne
Native Shifter is a paranormal romance set in the mid 1770’s. It’s the first book in the Freedom Shifters Trilogy.
Find it on Amazon

Movie Trivia Answers

Mainstream Christian Movies –
1 – Jim Caviezel, crucifixion, 2004 - The Passion of the Christ
2 – Cecil B. DeMille, Jesus, 1927 - The King of Kings
3 – Books, Tilda Swinton, 2005 - The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
4 – Moses, Yul Brynner, 1956 - The Ten Commandments
5 – Ralph Fiennes, plagues, 1998 - Prince of Egypt
6 – Animated, whale, 2002 - Jonah: A Veggie Tales Movie
7 – Keisha Castle-Hughes, Joseph, 2006 - The Nativity Story

November Movie Preview

Here are the upcoming theatrical releases for November! As always, descriptions courtesy of the IMDB. Snark provided by me.

4 –

Doctor Strange
A former neurosurgeon embarks on a journey of healing only to be drawn into the world of the mystic arts.
Director: Scott Derrickson
Stars: Benedict Cumberbatch, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams, Benedict Wong
One part Iron Man, one part harry Potteresque mysticism and you’ve got… oh, what am I saying? This is going to be awesome!

Hacksaw Ridge
WWII American Army Medic Desmond T. Doss, who served during the Battle of Okinawa, refuses to kill people and becomes the first Conscientious Objector in American history to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Director: Mel Gibson
Stars: Teresa Palmer, Andrew Garfield, Vince Vaughn, Sam Worthington
If you don’t have time for the two hour movie, just watch the two minute trailer and you’ve pretty much got it.



11 –

Arrival
A linguist is recruited by the military to assist in translating alien communications.
Director: Denis Villeneuve
Stars: Amy Adams, Jeremy Renner, Forest Whitaker, Michael Stuhlbarg
Science fiction for those who want their brains engaged. Lasers, space battles, huge explosions, and Charlie Sheen not included.





18-

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them
The adventures of writer Newt Scamander in New York's secret community of witches and wizards seventy years before Harry Potter reads his book in school.
Director: David Yates
Stars: Eddie Redmayne, Ezra Miller, Colin Farrell, Zoë Kravitz
One part Iron Man, one part harry Potteresque mysticism and you’ve got… crap, I said that already. Again, going to be awesome!

A Streetcat Named Bob
Based on the international best selling book. The true feel good story of how James Bowen, a busker and recovering drug addict, had his life transformed when he met a stray ginger cat.
Director: Roger Spottiswoode
Stars: Bob, Luke Treadaway, Ruta Gedmintas, Joanne Froggatt
A sequel to the hugely popular Homeless Dog Name Larry and A Poor Ferret Named Earl.



25 –

Moana
A young woman uses her navigational talents to set sail for a fabled island. Joining her on the adventure is her hero, the legendary demi-god Maui.
Directors: Ron Clements | John Musker | Don Hall | Chris Williams
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Alan Tudyk, Jemaine Clement, Nicole Scherzinger
One of the few animated releases that doesn’t look like it was created on aisle five at Toys R Us.

Did you enter the IWSG Anthology Contest? What genre would you like to see next year? Feeling lucky? Get any of the movies right? What movies excite you for November? And who is participating in NaNo?

Monday I have a special guest, plus a full rundown of RiffTrax: Live – Carnival of Souls!

RiffTrax Interview with Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett! Plus What Are the Kargrandes, ColorIQ Challenge, Movie Trivia Answers, and Ninja News

Last week saw the release of RiffTrax Live: Sharknado. I was honored when Kevin Murphy and Bill Corbett agreed to answer a few questions. These guys have been my idols since Mystery Science Theater 3000 and have been a source of laughter for over twenty years.

Without further ado, I present RiffTrax’s Bill Corbett and Kevin Murphy!

1. I believe that BBC (Blood, Boobs, and Carnage) is the benchmark for cinematic greatness. What drew you to the greatness that is Sharknado?

BILL: Like you, the British Broadcasting Corporation.

KEVIN: The Three I’s: Inconceivability, Incoherence, and Ian.

2. RiffTrax is so freaking awesome and you riff such a variety of films, both good and bad. Are there any movies you feel are untouchable?

BILL: Of course. We would seem like monsters if we tried to make funny out of SCHINDLER’S LIST, HOTEL RWANDA, etc.

KEVIN: I’d say Schindler’s List is one we’ll never do.

3. Do you derive any perverse pleasure from watching your cast mates screw up their lines at a live show?

KEVIN: I derive even more pleasure in the artful ways that they recover and make the show even funnier for it.

BILL: I am too busy watching myself screw up lines.

4. What’s the strangest cosplay outfit you’ve seen at one of your live shows?

BILL: Someone actually pulled off a strange-but-wonderful version of the sharknado itself at our Sharknado live show. Big funnel cloud with sharks in it. A+!

KEVIN: I don’t think there’s a Torgo costume that doesn’t qualify as strange.

5. Besides Sharknado, are there any other ‘Nados’ you’d like to see the SyFy Channel ruin? Squidnado? Cownado? Scissorsnado?

KEVIN: Ralph Nado. UNSAFE AT ANY SPEED.

BILL: NicCageNado.

Thanks, Bill and Kevin! Special thanks to Jeff at RiffTrax who made it happen.

What Are the Kargrandes?

New clue today at What Are the Kargrandes? This is clue number seven – new clues every Monday until the release of Dragon of the Stars on April 7.

Sample Tweets for this week:

What are the Kargrandes? Seventh clue up this week- http://whatarethekargrandes.com/ #whatarethekargrandes #scifi @alexjcavanaugh

Solve the mystery by April 7–what are the Kargrandes? Animals? Weapons? http://whatarethekargrandes.com/ #whatarethekargrandes @alexjcavanaugh

And big thanks to Bob at Beauty in Ruins for his review of Dragon this week - It's still as fun and exciting as his first forays into space opera, but the darker themes and deeper level of introspection absolutely elevate the novel to a new level.

Ninja News

I’m at the A to Z Blog today, talking about the advantages of a theme during the Challenge.

Ella is a very talented artist and writer. She just had two of her hearts published in The Stampers' Sampler.


Julie Dao landed an agent - Tamar Rydzinski of the Laura Dail Literary Agency!

New Releases –

Apocalypse Weird - Immunity by EE Giorgi
When greed, mayhem, and a deadly virus collide on the high deserts of New Mexico, it's Outbreak meets World War Z in the deserts of the Apocalypse Weird. One of five books launching today from Wonderment Media.

Cassie and The Wild Cat: Host A Ghost by Pat Hatt
Find it on Amazon

Love, Lattes, and Mutants by Sandra Cox
Finding love is hard, even when you aren’t a mutant.
Find it on Amazon. Barnes and Noble, and Kobo

A Woman Ignored by TB Markinson
Find it on Amazon

Stephen Hayes has TWO stories in On SEX: 69 Hilarious Stories About Everything SEX.
You can read one of them HERE

Online ColorIQ Challenge

JE O’Neil posted about the Online ColorIQ Challenge. This was my score:

What did you get?

Movie Trivia Answers

Sorry, forgot to post them last week!
1 – Who played Erik in Erik the Viking? (1989) Tim Robbins
2 – What comedian voiced Reepicheep the mouse in The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian? (2008) Eddie Izzard
3 – Who voiced Hiccup’s father, Stoick, in How to Train Your Dragon? (2010) Gerard Butler
4 – Who played Gimli In LOTR: Return of the King? (2003) John Rhys-Davies
5 – Who voiced Draco the dragon in Dragonheart? (1996) Sean Connery

Whoa!!!! Are you a fan of RiffTrax or MST3K? Did you pick up their version of Sharknado? (It’s 8.5 stars on the IMDB – the original version is only 3.3.) Planned your Challenge Theme yet? How’d you do with the Color Challenge? How about the trivia? And have you figured out the Kargrandes yet…?

Be sure to visit the A to Z Blog.